


Aftermath

by eliotandq



Series: You are not Tony Stark [10]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Adoption, Awesome May Parker (Spider-Man), Dead May Parker (Spider-Man), F/M, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Married Pepper Potts/Tony Stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-10-24 19:01:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20710955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eliotandq/pseuds/eliotandq
Summary: "What will happen to me?""I spoke to Pepper. She's your legal guardian now. You'll be fine.""How could I be fine without you?"Or, May died as a result of the disease and Pepper, Tony and Peter are trying to cope with her death.





	1. Tony

**Author's Note:**

> You should probably read previous work :)

"Is it all?" Tony asked tiredly as they discussed the last item at the meeting. The board of directors gave each other a few nervous glances before one of them took the courage to answer.

"Well, yes, but we were wondering when Mrs. Potts-Stark would return to work," he asked, and Tony sighed. He sincerely excepted this question because it was unusual for Pepper to have such a long time off. And while he tried to do her job as best he could, he wasn't as perfect as his beloved wife.

"I know it's unusual for Pepper to have such a long time off, but we have death in the family and we're trying to deal with it, so I'd ask you all for patience," he replied. The others gave him understanding looks and the meeting was closed.  


Tony took an elevator to the penthouse and was very surprised to find Pepper and Peter cuddling on the couch in deep sleep. None of them had slept much in the last days, so it was a very nice sight for him, even though it was only three in the afternoon. It was a week since May had left, and three days after her funeral. Pepper and Peter refused to leave the penthouse, and Tony tried to do the job for his wife so that she didn't have to worry about it. He was also at the principal to explain the current situation to him and talked about Peter's absence. Fortunately, he was quite understanding and said that Peter could go back to school when he was ready and that he would send him the learning material so he could learn at home.  


He took the blanket that was on the back of the couch and slipped it over Pepper and Peter. He kissed both of them on the forehead and quietly returned to the elevator. He tried to be strong for them that he had no time for his own sadness in that week. But he needed that time to mourn too.  


So he found himself standing in front of the tombstone of May. He was never a person who would have shown too much emotion so he stood there for a long moment thinking what to say.

_ "I do not know what to say!" Toy panicked while a small smile lay on May's face. _

_ "Take it easy, Tony. You have two more days." _

_ "That's not enough time!" _

_ "You are unnecessarily stressed. You are looking for complexity, but this is not quaternary physics, Tony. Just talk from your heart. I'm sure you will know what to say when you stand there with Pep by your side."  
_

_ "You think?" _

_ "I know that, and besides, you're Tony Stark, you always know what to say," she smirked.  
_

"Oh, May, I can only tell you how glad I am that Pepper insisted on New Year's Eve wedding because you were there with us. You talked me out of all my stress, as always. When I panicked with the wedding vow, you told me to speak from the heart. I'll tell you, really good advice. So I'm going to try to keep that advice now," he said and paused for a moment. It was harder than he thought.

_"You've got the best secret Santa! Merry Christmas, May," Tony said, kissing her cheek. _

_"I'm a little afraid of what it will be," she laughed as she took the gift from him._

_"Don't underestimate me, May. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised."_

_"Is this a photo album?" she asked, surprised as she tore the wrapping paper._

_"Yes, it is. I let you print my private collection of the most adorable photos we've taken since Peter began his lab day. If you tell someone I said 'adorable', I will de-" he said, but was interrupted by a sudden hug._

_"Thank you very much, Tony. This means a lot, really."_

_"You're welcome," he said, holding her in an embrace._

"The problem is I don't know what to say. I'm trying to be here for them. But it is hard. It's so hard, May, because I miss you just like Pepper and Peter. Yeah, I love you, May Parker, but don't tell anyone I said that. It's only been a week since you left us here, but it seems to me like all eternity. I feel like I haven't talked to you for years. It is not right. You left a hole behind you."

_"Do I see tears?" May teased him, but there were tears in her eyes as well._

_"No, I have an allergic reaction," he murmured._

_"Do you now?"_

_"Are you sure we can't do anything?"_

_"I'm sure."_

_"May... I-" he began, but his voice broke._

_"It'll be all right, Tony. I want to thank you for everything you did for us. There was a lot, but I am most grateful for you giving Peter a family. And that you'll be here for him when I don't. I have to say that I will miss your humor," she said with a sad smile.  
_

"I miss you a lot. I almost forgot I brought you lilies. Your favorite," he said, putting a bouquet of white flowers on the ground. "I don't know what will happen now. You said we'd be okay. I know that in a way we will, even though the pain of your loss will be here forever. I'll make sure that our teen genius grows into the man you wanted him to become. I guess I'll go now, but I promise I'll be back soon. Be well."

_"You know, I think it's time to forgive you for preferring Pep instead of me."_

_"Oh, deal with it, the girls are holding each other," she smirked._

_"Well, the guys should stick together, but Peter also seems to prefer Pepper."_

_"Someone is simply better than Tony Stark, it must be a big blow to your ego," she laughed, and a smile appeared on his face too. He liked to see that she was laughing. Especially now that her condition has worsened.  
_

_"I think you're much better. Better than any of us," he said honestly.  
_

_"You're not the worst, either," she said and grabbed his hand.  
_


	2. Pepper

Pepper watched Peter, who was on the couch under the blanket, watching something on TV. Today she had forced him to do some homework, but besides, he hadn't left the couch again, and she was worried about him. She wanted to release him so much from the pain, but how was she supposed to do it when she couldn't even do it with her own pain?

"Today was terrible ..." sighed Tony, who suddenly appeared behind her and hugged her from behind.

"Don't worry, I'm going back to work tomorrow," she murmured, leaning against him.

"Are you sure? I can still handle it, no pressure here," he said, kissing her cheek.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Will you make sure he eats something for dinner?" she asked gently, turning to face him, but still in his embrace.

"Of course. Are you going somewhere?"

"Uh, I'm going to May," she replied, pulling away from him.

"Okay, do you need Happy to drive you?"

"It's fine, driving calms me down."

"Be safe," he said with a small smile, giving her a gentle kiss before moving into the living room. Pepper watched as he sat down on the couch beside Peter, who immediately started cuddle with him. With a broken expression, she went to the elevator and took one of the less fancy cars in the garage and drove toward the cemetery.

_"So, you're Pepper, nice to finally meet you personally," May said with a smile as she walked into the penthouse. Peter was still in the workshop with Tony, but they had planned a dinner together, which was invented by Pepper because she finally wanted to meet May personally._

_"That's me, and I share the same feelings," she laughed and greeted May with a hug._

"So, here I am," she began, trying to keep her voice firm, "I kn-ow it's been a while sin-ce the funeral, and I'm sorry I didn't show up b-efore. I know Tony was here a few ti-mes and brought you lilies. I was a little off and tried to be sup-portive fo-r Pet-er, b-ut... God," she sobbed.

_"Pep, you look beautiful!" May breathed in amazement._

_"You flatter me too much, I chose the simplest look that went," she replied with a small smile._

_"You know what they say, simplicity is beauty."_

_"I'm really glad to have you by my side tonight," Pepper said with tears in her eyes._

_"Well, I'm glad too, but don't do it. It's your big day! No need for us to be sad. Let's enjoy it!"_

_"I don't know how you do it. You're amazing, you know that?" Pepper said honestly._

"What were you thinking? I'm not you! I don't know how to care for a kid, I've only been working all my life," she cried, but then paused for a moment and looked around. Fortunately, she was alone here. "Sorry, you know I didn't mean to scream. I just don't know how to deal with this. You became a sister to me and I really didn't see this coming. And you didn't even prepare me! You just told me like you were telling me you're going on vacation. But you were right, it was better if the boys didn't know it before Christmas."

_"You promised me to tell them. May, please, I can't do it any longer."_

_"I know, Pep, but let's wait after the wedding. One last nice moment before I tell them."_

_"If I could, I would hate you for this, but I understand."_

_"The worst part about cancer isn't what it does to you. But what it does to the people you love. I'm sorry I told you, but I couldn't keep it to myself and I didn't want to spoil Peter's Christmas."  
_

"You should know that when things get back to normal a little bit, Tony and I want to adopt him. We promised to take care of him and keep our promise, May. You don't have to worry about him. He's dealing with it, but it's hard. It's hard for me and Tony, and I can't imagine how hard it is for him. You should know that I will do everything possible to make him happy again. I promise you that."

_"Hey, how are you, May?" Pepper asked as she entered the room._

_"It was better, but I can't complain, they give me good medicines."_

_"I bought lilies for _ _you_ _, but the doctor said I couldn't bring them in."_

_"It doesn't matter," she said with a small smile._

_"Yes, it does. I wanted to do something nice for you," she murmured._

_"You do so much for me, Pep."_

_"But it's not enough."_

_"For me, it's important that you're here."_

"I just really hope you're happy out there somewhere, May. I hope you met Ben again because you deserve it. You deserve your happy ending and it breaks my heart that I couldn't give it to you. That you didn't figure it out sooner and we couldn't do anything about it. It's not fair, but that's how life is. I miss you so much. I didn't bring you lilies like Tony, I'm sorry. But the next time I come, I'll bring you twice much, okay? It's getting pretty cold and I'd like to stay, but I should go home. I'm going back to work tomorrow, but don't worry I'll take it lightly. Peter is still at home, but I'm trying to get him at least do his homework, not be far behind. I'll be back soon, love you, May."

_"May, are you sure you want Peter to be in our care?"_

_"Don't be silly now, Pep. I told you, nobody's better."_

_"I wish you could stay."_

_"Oh, me too, dear, me too."_

_"I feel we have been given so little time."_

_"But that's all the more valuable. I know you're sad, so am I. But I had a good life, Pep, and I'm glad you were part of it."_

_"Me too. I love you, May. I always will."_

_"Love you too, Miss Potts..." It was Mrs. Potts-Stark now, but that wasn't the point.  
_


	3. Peter

"Hey, kid, I brought you flowers," Tony said in confusion as he entered Peter's room. Peter looked up from the biology book and gave him a puzzled look before noticing the white lilies Tony was holding. "They were down at the reception, the other bouquet of gerberas that was for Pepper was taken to her office by her assistant. Everything okay, Pete?"

"Oh, yeah, these are for May. When I ordered them, I realized that I had never just given her flowers. Or I didn't tell her how much I appreciate everything she's doing for me. I thought I should do better with Pep," he explained.

"I'm sure she knew you appreciated her," Tony said gently.

"Are you free now? I'd like to visit her."

"Of course, kid. I'll meet you in the garage in five minutes."

_ _"May, are you all right?"_ _

_ _"Oh, Pete, no, I'm not. But I will, and you too."_ _

_ _"How? I miss him so much."_ _

_ _"I know, me too, but we will be better. It just takes time. Ben will keep an eye on us from above. "_ _

"Shall I go with you?" Tony asked as he parked at the cemetery.

"I'd go alone if it's not a problem," he murmured.

"Of course not. Take as much time as you need. I'll wait here," Tony said, handing him the flowers. Peter gave him a little hint of a smile before getting out of the car and entering the cemetery grounds.

It took him a moment to remember where the tomb of May was, for which he was immediately ashamed. He was only there for the funeral, and that was three weeks ago. Peter knew he couldn't stay home forever and that it was time for him to go back to school.

_ _"Pete, I know it's hard and I hate it, but I think you should try to go to school. You're so happy there and if they take your scholarship, we won't be able to afford it," May said gently, sitting down on the edge of his bed._ _

_ _"That's terrible," he murmured._ _

_ _"I know honey. I called them and they know what happened, but I don't know how long they will be willing to tolerate your absence..." she sighed._ _

_ _"I'll go on Monday," he said, then snuggled to her._ _

"I'm finally here," he began as he laid the lilies on the floor beside the gravestone. "It's been three weeks and overtime I try to be somehow functional. Everything's arranged with the school, Tony apparently offered them money if they leave me there and give my deserved time to mourn, and you know what? Probably for the first time I don't mind that he is spending money on me. When Ben died, I had to go back to school relatively early to avoid losing my scholarship, and the truth was that I needed more time to deal with it."

_ _"Oh my God, I overslept!" May yelped as she ran out of her room._ _

_ _"Calm down, May, you have a shift from eleven!"_ _

_ _"But I didn't make you breakfast!"_ _

_ _"Well, I really appreciate your efforts, but we both know very well that you can't cook. So I tried it today and voila! Your cooking skills have not been touched by me and I will probably be a chef," he joked and placed a plate full of pancakes on the table._ _

_ "_I really don't know what to say. Tony and Pepper are amazing, but we're all pretty sad now. I miss you so much. You've always been here, and I never thought you'd disappear one day as the others did. Tony tried to hide his emotions, you know him, but it took him. That shows how unique you were. As one of the few people, you have gained a place in the heart of Tony Stark. I was very bad. I was just moving out of bed on the couch where Pepper, who mourned you a lot too, was cuddling with me all day. You know I love her, and although I felt safe in her embrace, it wasn't the embrace I wanted. It wasn't a hug from you."

_ _"Okay, okay, I understand, she's amazing," May laughed when Peter didn't close his mouth for a second and only talked about Pepper Potts for few days._ _

_ _"She's really, but don't worry, you're just as amazing as she is," he said with a smile._ _

_ _"You bet I am."_ _

_ _"Love you, auntie May," he said, giving her a hug._ _

_ _"Love you too, Petey-pie."_ _

"I'm trying to cope with it and I think I'm doing quite well. I do not mean that I forget you, or that your loss hurt a little less. It's still very hard, but the fact that I still have Tony and Pepper helps. If I were alone, I don't know if I could handle it. I don't want this to be our goodbye. Let's say this is 'see you later'. I hope to see you again someday. You, Ben and my parents. Don't worry, I'm not planning any bullshit. I'm going to live a long life. Now I guess I'll go, Tony's waiting for me and I don't want him to have to wait long. But I promise to be back soon."

_ _"What will happen to me?" he asked so softly that he wasn't even sure May had heard it._ _

_ _"I spoke to Pepper. She's your legal guardian now. You'll be fine."_ _

_ _"How could I be fine without you?" he sobbed._ _

_ _"Pete, you know I'm right," she said gently._ _

_ _"I don't want you to go. Please don't go."_ _

_ _"I'm so sorry, honey. You know I love you more than anything."_ _

_ _"I love you too, so please don't go."_ _

_ _"I know it's not fair, but you're strong. You can do it."_ _

_ _"You will be all right?"_ _

_ _"I hope so. At least I'll see Ben again."_ _

_ _"Tell them I love them very much. And I'm fine."_ _

_ _"I will."_ _


	4. All of them

"I talked today with the school principal and he said that Peter's absence did not affect his grades even a little," Tony said as he walked into the bedroom where Pepper was packing the last things.

"That's great! Going to Malibu for spring break was a good idea, I think we all deserve it," Pepper said with a smile, closing her small suitcase. They did not have to pack much, because they have a lot of things there.

"The departure is scheduled for two hours, but we should go, I want to stop somewhere along the way," Tony said, taking the suitcase.

"Okay, I'll go see if Peter is ready."

_"You think just because you're Tony Stark that you can buy everything?" May snapped._

_"Yes."_

_"Forget it, I won't sell you my land!"_

_"When you're talking about selling, Tony, I'd like to buy the ice cream shop from you," Pepper said._

_"Guys, it seems to me that you understand the game badly," murmured Peter, but nobody noticed him._

_"I gave enough money for the ice cream shop, I won't sell it to you."_

_"You know what? Maybe we should try pairs instead of Monopoly next time," Peter suggested._

"What are we doing here?" Peter asked as Happy parked at the cemetery.

"I thought we should all come here together. We always came here alone, we must not let May have the impression that we aren't getting along," Tony explained as they got out.

"Oh, Tony," Pepper said with a small smile, giving him a quick kiss. Sometimes she was surprised at how many emotions hid inside her husband.

_"So the thing is. We know you love your job, but we've quit for you. We've arranged for you medical care here in Stark Tower and your room is ready next to Peter's room," Tony said firmly. He won't let May win in this._

_"We know you won't like it and we can't force you, but we'd like you to accept it. We'd like to spend as much time together as possible. Everyone," Pepper said._

_"Normally I would be terribly upset, but I guess it's not such a bad solution. What do you think, Peter?" May asked._

_"I think that's the only solution," Peter murmured._

"So, we came to check on you and show you that we were trying to return to normal in some way," Tony began after a moment of silence as the three of them stood side by side, each immersed in their memories.

"It's been a month and a few days since you left us. There are still those bad moments, but we've all returned to our duties," Pepper said.

"May, we love you. I miss you so much, but I want you to know that I'm okay. You don't have to worry if I would come home every time I'm out there like a Spider-man. You can rest now," said Peter, and Pepper wiped away a tear that had escaped from her eye at Peter's statement.

_ Pepper woke up to a slamming door from their bedroom. She immediately sat up on the bed and saw from the corner of her eye that Tony had done the same. _

_ "Friday, turn on the lights," Tony ordered, and once that happened, the couple was given a glance at Peter standing in the doorway of their room. His face was red and he was crying so much.  
_

_ "S-h-e's g-on-e," he wheezed, trying to catch his breath. Pepper and Tony immediately got out of bed and trapped Peter in a hug, each side. They slumped to the ground, still in an embrace, but now all three of them were crying.  
_

"We'll do it now," Pepper muttered to Tony.

"Very well. We wanted to do it in Malibu, but I think Pepper is right. We should do it here with May at our side."

"What?" Peter asked, confused.

"We have something for you. Before we give it to you, you must know that whatever you decide it won't change how much we love you," Pepper replied.

"Okay."

"May thanked us so much for giving you a family, but I think the truth was that she gave us a family," Tony said, handing him a roll of paper.

"We want to adopt you, Pete."

"How can one feel both sad and happy?" Peter sobbed.

"It's all right, honey," Pepper assured him, embracing him.

"We never talked to May about adoption, so we don't know her opinion, but we like to think she would agree," Tony said, joining them in their embrace.

"I also hope she would agree because I agree," Peter muttered inside their hug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I discovered the magic of social media ff and being dumbass as I am, I had to start writing one too! It's about a young writer and our British boy (yes, Tom Holland) <3 If you are interested in light reading, go check my Wattpad!
> 
> https://www.wattpad.com/story/201431023-writer
> 
> If for some reason the link doesn't work, the story is called Writer and my profile is newky1... Love you all!

**Author's Note:**

> Once again, English is not my native language, so I apologize for the mistakes.


End file.
